Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew

Here’s a delicious Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew with Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes for something new to make in the Instant Pot! We added sweet potatoes for texture and flavor, but if you prefer a low-carb version just double the peppers and skip the sweet potatoes! Use Pressure Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one.

Have you joined the Instant Pot craze yet? At my house we’ve been having fun experimenting with at least one Instant Pot recipe nearly every time I cook something with Jake and Kara, and although I’m far from an expert, I’m getting comfortable enough with the Instant Pot to start experimenting. So this Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew with Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes is one of those recipes where we added a little of this and a little of that until we had one we thought was a winner!

It did take us two tries to come up with this combination, (which uses one of those inexpensive pork sirloin tip roasts from Costco for the pork), and we loved it with some cheese and sour cream on top when we tested the recipe, but if you skip that this tasty recipe can be Paleo. And if you’d like a low-carb version of this Instant Pot pork stew, just skip the sweet potatoes and add another red pepper. The sweet potatoes do add some thickening to the stew, so you might need to simmer in the Instant Pot a bit to reduce if you go for the low-carb option.

And back to the Instant Pot; I knew that Instant Pots were really a thing when my brother Dave called to ask me an Instant Pot question, and he raved about how he had made a roast in the Instant Pot and how good it was. We’re getting a good collection of Instant Pot Recipes on Kalyn’s Kitchen, and you can also find some great Instant Pot recipes from other blogs at the Instant Pot Index Page on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site.

My most popular Instant Pot recipe to date is definitely this Instant Pot Low-Carb Loaded Cauliflower Soup, so if you happen to find an Instant Pot under the Christmas tree, be sure to try that one! And if you like pork and Southwestern flavors, be sure to try this Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew as well!

How to Make Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew:

(Scroll down for complete printable recipe including nutritional information.)

Cook bacon strips it in the instant pot on SAUTE, high heat. Then remove bacon with a slotted spoon.

Remove some of the bacon fat if needed, then cook the pork pieces until they’re nicely browned. You might need to do this in two batches to be sure the pork browns well, or cook the pork in a big pan on the stove if you prefer.

While pork browns, chop the onion and the Poblano chili pepper. Remove the browned pork and add the onions and chopped Poblano to the Instant Pot with a little more bacon fat or olive oil if needed and cook 2-3 minutes; then add the ground cumin and Mexican oregano and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add the browned pork, bacon, canned green chiles, and chicken stock to the Instant Pot, lock the lid, and set to HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes, using NATURAL RELEASE to release the pressure.

While the pork cooks, chop the sweet potatoes and red pepper (or two red peppers if you’re making the low-carb version). Add those to the Instant Pot after the pressure has released.

Lock the lid on the Instant Pot again and set to HIGH PRESSURE, 8 minutes. When the time is up use NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes, then release the rest of the pressure quickly, being careful to stay away from the steam.

If you didn’t add the sweet potatoes you may want to simmer the stew in the Instant Pot for a few minutes to thicken it.

Then add the lime juice, chopped cilantro, and salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Serve hot, with grated cheese and sour cream to add at the table if desired

Instructions

Cut bacon into short strips, then cook in the Instant Pot using SAUTE and HIGH HEAT until the bacon is crisp. Remove bacon to paper towels with a slotted spoon. (If there seems like too much bacon fat, remove some with a spoon.)

While bacon cooks, trim fat from the pork roast and cut in cubes 1 inch to 1 1/2 inch square. Brown the pork cubes in the Instant Pot, letting them getting nicely browned. You might need to do this in two batches so the Instant Pot isn't too crowded, or brown the pork in some olive oil or bacon fat in a pan on the stove if you prefer. Remove pork to a plate.

While pork browns, chop the onion and the Poblano (or Pasilla) chile into very small dice. When pork is done, add the chopped onions and chiles to the Instant Pot (adding a little more olive oil or bacon fat if needed), reduce heat to MEDIUM and cook 2-3 minutes. Then add the ground cumin and oregano and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Put the browned pork back into the Instant Pot with the crisp bacon, canned green chiles, and chicken stock. Lock lid on the Instant Pot and cook at HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes; then use NATURAL RELEASE to release the pressure.

While the stew cooks, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into 3/4 inch pieces. Cut stem out and remove seeds from the red bell pepper and chop into 3/4 inch pieces.

When pressure has released, add the chopped sweet potatoes and red bell pepper to the Instant Pot, lock lid, and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 8 minutes. Use NATURAL RELEASE for 5 minutes, then QUICK RELEASE to release the rest of the pressure.

Check to see if you want to simmer to thicken the stew, especially if you didn't use the sweet potatoes. If so, simmer on SAUTE, low heat until some of the liquid has evaporated and the stew has thickened to your liking.

Stir in the lime juice and chopped cilantro (if using) and season the stew with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

Serve hot, with grated Mexican blend cheese and sour cream to add at the table if desired.

Notes

Pork Sirloin Tip Roast has a photo of the kind of pork roast I used for this recipe. Poblano Chiles are sometimes called Pasilla chiles in U.S. grocery stores. You can also use canned chicken broth for this. I used my fresh-frozen lime juice.I used a 6 Quart Instant Pot (affiliate link) for this recipe.Recipe created by Kalyn, with help from Jake and Kara.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Instant Pot Southwestern Pork Stew with Bacon, Peppers, and Sweet Potatoes is a great dish for any low-glycemic diet, including Phase 2 or 3 of the South Beach Diet. To make this suitable for a traditional low-carb diet plan, just skip the sweet potatoes and replace with another chopped red bell pepper.

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I made this as stated above reducing second cooking time to 5 minutes (3-4 would probably work). At first st I thought it was too spicy (I’m wimpy) but after mixing cheese and sour cream it was just right. Was going to slice avocado but it was not ripe. Added a little corn and black beans.

Hi – This was absolutely delicious. I was very pleased with the results. Had a few failures with my new Instant Pot, so successes are noteworthy. Made exactly as written with the exception of the poblano pepper – just couldn’t find one. So I used a green pepper and 1/2 a jalapino. Would love to try it with the poblano. Many thanks – this is the first time I’ve reviewed a dish, I was that impressed with it.

So glad you enjoyed it! Not sure where you live, but Poblanos are called Pasilla peppers in some places. I have had my own failures with the Instant Pot too, so I try to make sure the recipe work before I share them here!

Thanks Lydia! I think beef would be a great choice for this if you don’t want to use pork. And I bet the timing would be pretty similar with beef, maybe just a little longer for the initial cooking time.

It probably can, but since I haven’t done it I can’t tell you exactly how to do it. For sure you’d need to brown the bacon and meat separately as I did. I would use lots less liquid for the slow cooker, maybe half as much, and you’d need to cook the pork for a few hours and then add the sweet potatoes and peppers and cook longer. Love to hear what works if you try it.